Cousin confesses killing woman, daughter

LAHORE - Police investigators Tuesday claimed to have arrested two men in connection with the killings of a woman and her young daughter, who were found murdered in Johar Town some eight days ago. Kanwal Bibi, 32, and her daughter Tayyaba, 11, were found tortured to death in separate bedrooms in (A-I block) Johar Town on April 21. The prime suspect held in the double-murder case, identified as Muhammad Omar, is said to be the cousin of Kanwal Bibi. The alleged killer confessed to the investigators that he had murdered Kanwal as he noticed some unknown men visiting her house frequently. According to investigators, Omar had developed love-affair with his cousin Kanwal since her husband had been staying abroad. SP (Investigation) Zahid Nawaz Murrawat told reporters on Tuesday that Omar along with his accomplice Muhammad Asim had killed the woman and her minor daughter after a brief altercation. Omar along with his accomplice visited the house and questioned Kanwal about the unknown visitors. He also exchanged harsh words with Kanwal, who got infuriated and slapped him. Then, the men brutally tortured the woman and her daughter and later escaped after strangulating them. “We have arrested both the killers. They had confessed to the crime. The criminals had tortured the woman before strangulating them,” Zahid Nawaz Murrawat explained. The killers also took away some valuables including laptop, mobile phones, and LCDs to mislead the police investigators by portraying the incident as robbery-cum-murders. The senior police investigator also revealed that the police recovered a mobile phone SIM from the crime scene which literally helped police track down the culprits. Sadar Division SP (Investigation) further said that the arrested killers had a history of crimes and they were also wanted to the police in several cases of armed robberies. A police investigator who visited the crime scene said that feet of the young girl were tied with a rope and a bottle filled with some chemical mixture was also lying next to the bodies. The Township police registered the double-murder case against unidentified killers on the complaint of father of the deceased. Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Chaudhry Shafique Ahmed has announced commendatory certificates for the investigation police team, which resolved the double-murder mystery within a week.

This news was published in The Nation newspaper. Read complete newspaper of 30-Apr-2014 here.